Mercy

by Adam Szymkowicz

FULL LENGTH, PUBLISHED. Orville is trying to get on with his life after his wife was killed in a car accident. His father is mostly taking care of his still unnamed infant daughter while his boss as work is aggressively trying to comfort him. Everything changes when he sees the man responsible for his wife's death. Is someone in this much pain capable of forgiveness?

FULL LENGTH, PUBLISHED. Orville is trying to get on with his life after his wife was killed in a car accident. His father is mostly taking care of his still unnamed infant daughter while his boss as work is aggressively trying to comfort him. Everything changes when he sees the man responsible for his wife's death. Is someone in this much pain capable of forgiveness?

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Mercy

Recommended by

  • Steven G. Martin: Mercy

    Szymkowicz had created a living hell for grief-stricken Orville filled with people living their own hells, and the audience is invited to witness things far too intimate and personal for far too long a time. Very dark, very unnerving, and written very well.

    Szymkowicz had created a living hell for grief-stricken Orville filled with people living their own hells, and the audience is invited to witness things far too intimate and personal for far too long a time. Very dark, very unnerving, and written very well.

  • Jan Rosenberg: Mercy

    A heartbreaking play about grief and the trauma of trying to forgive. The terror of having to move forward and raise a kid on your own and trying not to fall apart. Really moving, this one.

    A heartbreaking play about grief and the trauma of trying to forgive. The terror of having to move forward and raise a kid on your own and trying not to fall apart. Really moving, this one.

  • Michael Goodwin Hilton: Mercy

    At the beginning, Orville gently cajoles his unnamed daughter to make a sound, any sound, to communicate. This scene brilliantly sets up a play in which each character struggles to recognise and express exactly what is going on inside them, whether it is Brenda trying to explain her failing marriage, Ian struggling to confess what he's done, Walter attempting to speak openly with his son, or Orville coming to terms with his sense of grave responsibility. The arc from isolation to openness, from supression to communicativeness, is strikingly clear and poignant. A tremendous play in every...

    At the beginning, Orville gently cajoles his unnamed daughter to make a sound, any sound, to communicate. This scene brilliantly sets up a play in which each character struggles to recognise and express exactly what is going on inside them, whether it is Brenda trying to explain her failing marriage, Ian struggling to confess what he's done, Walter attempting to speak openly with his son, or Orville coming to terms with his sense of grave responsibility. The arc from isolation to openness, from supression to communicativeness, is strikingly clear and poignant. A tremendous play in every respect! Read, produce immediately!

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Character Information

Cast of Characters


ORVILLE MARKS, early forties

WALTER MARKS, his father, mid sixties

BRENDA JAMES, Orville’s boss, mid thirties to early forties

IAN SANDERS, mid thirties to early forties.
  • Orville Marks
    Character Age
    30s to 40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Walter Marks
    Father of Orville
    Character Age
    60s to 70s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Ian Sanders
    Character Age
    25 to 45
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Brenda James
    Orville's Boss
    Character Age
    30s to 40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Barefoot Theater, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization New Jersey Rep, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization Wilbury Theater Group, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization Azuka Theater, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization MCC Theater, Year 2013
  • Type Reading, Organization Asylum Theater, Year 2013
  • Type Reading, Organization Primary Stages, Year 2012

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization New Jersey Rep, Year 2018